mikeDnight

I can't say ive ever experienced the keyhole effect you mention. I use just a cheap pair of Revelation binoviewers and with a barlow attached to the nose piece I get a very pleasing field of view for lunar and planetary. I tend to use 52° field eyepieces of longish focal length yet still get high power views that are very comfortable.

This is seriously impressive stuff Luke. Zooming in on your image reveals incredibly intricate detail. I'm curious to know if there is any correlation between the more intricate cloud detail and the surface features below? It's great to see this level of detail in an image and I'm pretty sure it will inspire some imagers at least to view Venus as a much more worthy target that it may first appear to be. I have been observing Venus visually for many years, and I've been rewarded with many very detailed though subtle views of Venus cloud tops, which are at the limit of discernability. Your images are a massive breath of fresh air to a Venus observer such as myself. Thankyou so much for posting!

As a visual observer only, I never fail to be thrilled by the laser etched lunar and planetary views, and the needle sharp star images that a top class refractor delivers. And yes, I much prefer a very high quality refractor over anything else. It's more than just the stunning wide field views and the ability to use extremely high magnification, its the comfort and ease of use that goes along with it. Also, there's virtually no cool down time with a doublet refractor, so I can go out at a moment's notice, make an observation and carry the whole thing back in within a matter of just a couple of minutes. A small to medium aperture refractor packs an amazing punch for its size, and a scope of 4" to 5" can often give finer views of the Moon and planets than much larger reflectors. In 40 years of using all kinds of telescopes, I've only once seen a SCT show an image of Jupiter that impressed me. The refractor nearly always produces a detailed view. So as a visual observer an SCT would be my very last choice of telescope. Newtonians are fantastic performers, just not as fantastic as a quality refractor. For example, from a totally personal standpoint, I would much prefer a quality 4" refractor for lunar and planetary observing over a 6" or even an 8" Newtonian. I was loaned a 10" F6.3 Newtonian which has been stood in the corner of my observatory for the best part of 9 months, as my 100mm is my preferred instrument nearly every time. Maksutov's, both Cassegrain and Newtonian are excellent, and are often advertised as being "apo refractor like", but they don't have the same wide field capabilities as a refractor, and to my eye don't deliver the same level of sharpness. A number of years ago, in a sky & telescope review of a ( 5") 130mm AstroPhysics triplet, a (5") Takahashi FS128 and a 7" Intes Micro Newtonian Maksutov, the FS128 showed brighter deep sky views than the 7" Mak'. Its really down to personal preference, and most telescopes today are good enough to offer a lifetime of enjoyment, so I'm sure you'd enjoy whatever you eventually buy. But if you're looking for a first class no hassle scope that will never need recoating or colimating, and will be as good in 100 years as it was on the day you bought it, then you should really look seriously at a top end refractor. A good 100mm refractor is a joy to use and will give amazing views of the Moon, planets, wide star fields and very high power views of close binaries. Even deep sky can be unbelievably satisfying under reasonably dark and transparent skies. And a 4" refractor is easily transported to dark sites where it will really leave you wowed! But don't let me influence you in any way!

£1,500 might just buy you a second hand Takahashi FC100D or FS102. Mount it on an AZ4 until you can afford a better mount. You may never long for anything else. Get the best telescope your money can buy first and don't throw scope funds at fancy mounts. The fancy mount will come along in its own good time.

That's genuinely fantastic Luke. I'm very impressed!

That's beautiful David, but what's that blue stuff behind your Tak?

Still looks like I'll be buying the coffee! ☕☕

I don't think your scope lets anything down Vicky. I notice the circle K symbol on its focuser, which I'm presuming indicates it was made by KOWA? Anyhow, many of today's astronomers were brought up on such Japanese jewels, and I'm certain many remain deeply appreciative of them. I certainly do! Even now when I see a classic refractor like that, my heart still misses a beat!!

You still won't be able to look directly through an unsilvered / unaluminized reflector at the Sun. You can only use it for projection as the focused image will simply burn right through your cornea. I once tried just that, by using an A4 writing pad and bringing it to the point of focus, where it rapidly burst into flames. Great for cooking sausage though, if you're desperate for sausage!

A caustic soda bath will remove the aluminium from a primary mirror without harming the figure. Only wear marigolds and eye protection, do it in a well ventilated place not breathing in the fumes. After leaving the mirror in the caustic bath for a while, wash off using clean water, preferably distilled, and definitely do not lick! Even light rubbing of a primary mirror surface with a finger will add zones to the figure. Once clean then send it to be realuminized.

I'm guessing you won't be spending anything at the Kettering Practical Astronomy Show next month Gary?

The Mak is a great scope, but the refractor should be able to deliver equally high mag views with even sharper star images, along with great definition and contrast. But Mak's are relatively low cost, so there'd be no harm in having one as a complementary scope. Generally the price of a refractor can be viewed as a measure of its optical quality or complexity. Often, the better optic will be able to be pushed to a higher level of performance, where the lower quality lens will generally begin to lag behind by comparison.

There's a very noticeable jump in performance between a good 5" and a 4" refractor, but if the 130mm demands more effort to set up, would that potentially mean it would be used less? Also, a top quality 107mm apo is a formidable scope in the right hands, and would be so much easier to set up and take down at a moment's notice. APM have a well deserved reputation and that should be considered carefully before deciding on the 130 just because its more aperture. My old FS128 would take around ten minutes to set up on its permanent pier in my garden. I'd have to uncover the mount and carry out the power pack, then go back in for the refractor which was big and looked more like a 6" in its build, then I'd go back in for my eyepiece case; then when I was tired and frozen I'd have to go through the whole process in reverse. As a consequence, there would be times when I'd look for excuses why not to observe. Conversely, since I've had my FC100DC, I've done more observing over the course of each year than I've ever done. The 100mm can be set up in two to three minutes and I'm observing. It's quite liberating really, and despite the smaller aperture I'm still seeing amazing things and having a great time. You may find with the 107mm APM that you wouldn't use a Mak much.

That's a fantastic, set-up Stu! The Vixens always stop me in my tracks whenever or wherever I see them. In 2005 I was at the Astronomy Centre in Todmorden on an open evening event. I was using the Vixen FL102 in the main dome, as out on the moors it was wild. Everyone who looked through that scope on that night was wowed by its stunning planetary performance. Often, my passion for the Vixen would rub some members up the wrong way - just a little; hard to imagine i know! (This was always light hearted banter and never anything nasty), but the Vixen did have its loyal followers and nothing would sway them, much to the annoyance of the reflector and SCT users. One elderly man came over to the Vixen late in the evening, took a long hard look through the eyepice at a glorious Saturn with open rings, and standing back said "I've looked through all the telescopes tonight. Why is this one 'so much better' than the others?" Fine praise indeed from someone with no axe to grind. Of course me being me, couldn't resist rubbing it in a little, but i always position myself for a quick get-away, just incase Tony, a giant of a man who was in love with his Meade SCT, got it into his head to kill me. It was all good fun! Happy days!! I love the Vixen green curtain backdrop too. It's very telescope showroon ish!

I'm pretty certain you'll get lateral colour with any wide angle eyepiece. It's just the nature of the beast. There's noticeable LC with my 17.5mm Morpheus but I don't notice anything around stars, just the moon; but its not a lunar eyepiece. My narrower field pseudo Masuyama's are free of false colour. Horses for courses I suppose.

I've always liked the look of the Tal EQ as it looks a bit retro compared to today's girly white things, many of which don't even have slow motion controls. The only thing I've never been keen on on any mount are tangent arms, and the Tal uses tangent arm controls from what I remember. Still, tangent manual controls are better than no manual controls. Also, just look at those setting circles! What a great find!!

The last time I used the 10" Newtonian Paul, was to observe Mars when it was around 5" arc, and despite the greater resolution of the 10", the 100mm Takahashi gave a better defined view of the albedo features. Others may feel differently but I know what works best for me.

I got a really poor CSE in maths in 1978, yet despite that, there's at least seven of us so far! Sorry! I forgot to include myself! 7+1=8

I enjoyed this a couple of years ago and its even better placed now, so will definitely be there with possibly three others. So there'll be at least four folk there. Should be good!

I'm glad you found what you wanted Martin. I wasn't sure which thread you were looking for so I sent you a selection of sketches, in the hope I'd include the right ones.

That did it for me too John. I'd stare longingly at the pic of Patrick's 5"refractor in the "Observers Book Of Astronomy". His reflectors left me cold, but that may have in part at least, been because Patrick promoted the 3" refractor equals a 6" reflector myth. I still have that book 40 years later and i still look longingly at his 5" frac'. Its an illness!

That's a wonderful report and a kick up my rear to get moving sooner in the morning. I did look out around 4am but it was quite cloudy and went back to bed. It's easy to chicken out when there's the slightest excuse! ☺

Sometimes it's nice to have a complete rethink. For me its a gentlemanly pursuit that should be a pleasure and not a chore. I totally get the decision to go totally solar, and you may very well be completely happy doing that. But then on those mild spring evenings when the Moon is high in a beautiful clear sky, or you feel like a quick look at Jupiter, Saturn or Mars, then a nice 4" refractor is a light weight but powerful tool to have in your armoury. Great for solar too!

Thanks guy's. Comfort is important. Anything that improves you comfort and removes unnecessary distractions will increase your observing experience, and you'll see more. The attached sketch of IC474 took me an hour at the eyepiece. It is currently the most difficult object I've seen in my 100mm scope. If I'd have been uncomfortable I'd have given up after a few minutes, convincing myself the nebula is beyond my scopes ability. flipping the sketch below you can now compare the visual with the accompanying image. notice the flame nebula next to Alnitak! see sketch below:

To make the best of a bad job, it's possible to enhance any telescopes deep sky performance by using a blackout hood or blanket. Much of the stray light that hinders dark adaption strikes the eye from the side, so by shielding the eyes from the surroundings, you can greatly increase your light sensitivity. Just to prove that it works, all the attached sketches were made using a 100mm refractor from the suburbs of a Lancashire town. Not exactly a "dark site!" The Dumbbell nebula M27 M42 The Orion Nebula.